Native videoconferencing vs BYOD: what suits your boardroom best?

It’s Monday morning, 08:55 o’clock. In five minutes, the most important board meeting of the quarter is about to start. The CEO is ready; the CFO walks in with her laptop under her arm. “Can I join here?” she asks.

What follows is a familiar scene: looking for cables, switching adapters, “can you see my screen?” and in the meantime, there’s no sound. Ten minutes later everything finally works. The CEO checks his watch: the tone has been set.

As IT or Facility Manager, you probably recognise this. Every time you think: couldn’t this have been easier?

At AVEX, we’ve been helping organisations to create boardrooms and meeting rooms that always work for over 35 years. From that experience, I see the same dilemma come back every day: do you opt for a set, native conferencing solution or do you let everyone use their laptop with BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)?

In this article, our business consultant Jacqueline Borremans explains the following:

• What the difference is between native videoconferencing and BYOD (in easy-to-understand language)

• The most important (dis)advantages of both solutions

• When BYOD is a smart choice. And when it isn’t

• How you can determine what suits your organisation using a simple decision tree

• And why a native system often results in more ease of mind, professionalism, and security in your boardroom

At the end, you’ll know exactly which solution works best for your situation and how you prevent technology from setting the tone during an important meeting forever.

What do we mean by native videoconferencing and BYOD?

In simple language:

Native videoconferencing means that your meeting room has a set (integrated) system that’s specially designed for one platform for video meetings. Think of Microsoft Teams Rooms or Zoom Rooms: hardware and software work together seamlessly. You walk in, press one button, and the meeting starts.

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) means that participants connect their own laptop or tablet to the screen, the camera, and the microphone. You use your own platform (Teams, Zoom, Meet), often via HDMI or wireless connection. Flexible – but not always without errors.

The dilemma: flexibility or reliability?

When designing a boardroom, it often comes down to one question:
Do you choose the freedom of BYOD or the security of a native system?

In theory, BYOD seems cheaper and simpler. In practice, it turns out that it actually takes more time, carries more risk, and requires more support.

BYOD: the promise of flexibility

With BYOD, every user brings their own device and connects that to the equipment in the meeting room. The big advantage is the platform freedom: everyone can use their own favourite meeting tool. Furthermore, the purchase costs are lower, because there’s no need for a set computer or license for each room. And users feel comfortable with their own laptop and settings.

But, in practice, this flexibility often comes with a lot of frustration.

The downside of BYOD

Technical roulette 
Every laptop is different. Different cables, drivers, and updates result in it often taking 5 to 10 minutes before everything works. Valuable time, especially in board meetings.

Security and compliance risks 
A laptop that’s connected in a meeting must stay open the entire time, notifications show (private) messages and confidential data can unintentionally show up on screen. For organisations with strict safety policies, such as ISO 27001, that’s a big risk.

Support nightmare 
IT has no control over personal devices. Problems require physical support, which results in more tickets and pressure for the IT department. Research agency Gartner estimates that BYOD environments generate 3 to 4 times more support questions.

Inconsistent experience 
Today it works, tomorrow it won’t. An update, a new adapter or a different laptop, and the systems functions differently. This seems unprofessional to external guests or investors.

Native videoconferencing: the power of integration

A native system combines hardware and software in one integrated solution, such as Microsoft Teams Rooms. Everything is preset, from camera to sound, and the system is always ready for use.

Why native systems make the difference

One push of a button 
You start the meeting straight from the touch panel. No laptop, no cables, no stress.

Reliability and consistency 
The technology always works in the same way. For boardrooms where time and focus are crucial, this is worth gold.

Integration with IT and agendas 
Native systems are connected to Outlook or Google Calendar and automatically start the right meeting.

Central management and monitoring 
All updates and patches are automatically executed within the secured IT environment. Fully compliant with security standards.

So, how much does that cost? 
The extra cost in manageable: a couple hundred euros for the hardware, plus license costs per room. In return, you get: the security that it always works. One touch join. No difficulty anymore. And above all: no missed opportunities because the technology fails in the moment when it matters.

When BYOD does work

BYOD can work well for:

• Small, informal meeting rooms
• Start-ups with limited budget
• Ad-hoc rooms without confidential information
• Teams with enough technical knowledge

But for a boardroom where strategic decisions are made, BYOD often lacks.

Why native wins in boardrooms

Our experience at AVEX is clear: 9 out of 10 corporate boardrooms eventually choose native videoconferencing.

Example: RTL Netherlands
RTL replaced their boardroom with a native Microsoft Teams Rooms solution via our Quarta concept.

“Everyone wants to meet in this room. No cables, no difficulty – and we don’t need support from IT anymore.”

That last point is crucial: a boardroom must always work, without help from IT.

What suits your situation?

Answer these questions and discover if native videoconferencing is the solution for you:

Factors that are often forgotten

Equal experiences for everyone (meeting equity)
Remote participants deserve the same quality as people in the room. Native systems guarantee that; BYOD doesn’t.

Downtime costs money
A fifteen-minute delay in a board meeting can cost much money and wasted time.

Ease of mind
A system that always works causes reliability and ease of mind – exactly what you want in a boardroom where important decisions are made.

The 7 success factors for a future-proof boardroom

1. Reliable infrastructure

2. Easy to use (understandable within 30 seconds)

3. Integration with Teams, Zoom, WebEx

4. Professional audio and video

5. Sharing content flexibly (wireless and wired)

6. Proactive monitoring and maintenance

7. Clear adoption workshops for users

Conclusion: make the choice that suits you and your organisation

You now know what the difference between BYOD and native videoconferencing are and which factors decide what suits your organisation. The frustration about cables, updates, and faltering connections doesn’t have to be a standard part of your board meetings.

At AVEX, we’ve helped organisations with realising boardrooms that always work for over 35 years. From design to maintenance, we ensure that you can focus on the contents – not the technology.

Do you want to know which solution suits your boardroom best? Schedule a free boardroom scan with one of our experts – like Jacqueline.

In 30 minutes, you discover:

• What goes well and what could be improved

• Which solution (native or BYOD) suits you

• The expected investment and concrete next steps

Schedule your free boardroom scan 
Because you already have enough to do, and AV technology shouldn’t worry you anymore

👉 Schedule a meeting with Jacqueline here.

About the author

Jacqueline Borremans:
As Business Consultant at AVEX, I’ve been helping IT and Facility Managers with boardroom that really work for over 10 years – from first intake to carefree use.